1.    Identify yourself
State your name and identify the community where you live. Share other information about who you are if it is relevant to the issue (for example, if you are a child, parent, member of a particular organisation, business owner, etc).

2.    Be Specific
Include the name of the specific issue or proposed legislation. Clearly describe the issue and state your goals.

3.    Make it Personal
The best thing you can do as an advocate is give the issue your individual voice. Use personal examples and speak in your own words.

4.    Be Confident
Your local representative’s job is to represent you and your opinion is important to them. You may also know more about the issue than your elected official.

5.    Be Polite
Always work on the basis that the government and your opponents are open to reason and discussion. Always be polite or your message may not be well-received.

6.    Be Brief
Communication that focuses strongly on one argument is the most effective. Keep it to one issue. Limit written documents to one page.

7.    Be Timely
Your message is more likely to be considered if it is immediately relevant.

8.    Be Factual

Use facts and statistics. Make sure the information you provide is accurate.